8 Must-Have Travel Apps

Summer is just around the corner and hopefully there is a fun-filled family vacation in your not-too-distant future. And if you have some travel and sightseeing to organize, your smartphone or tablet can help!

There are some great apps for choosing flights, booking hotels, renting cars, and more. And there are hundreds of additional apps for making sure you have a good time once you arrive at your destination. From finding a great restaurant to conversing with the locals to keeping track of your finances, your app store has you covered. Here are 8 of our favorites to help get you started:

KAYAK PRO

One of the first search and booking apps for travelers and still one of the best. KAYAK PRO helps you choose your travel options, track your flight status, manage your travel itinerary, and even guide you through those maze-like airport terminals. Price alerts make sure you always get the best deal, and the My Trips feature neatly consolidates everything into one easy-to-find location.Platform: iOS, Android, Windows PhonePrice: $0.99

A wonderful app that takes all your travel bookings and organizes them into one single itinerary. TripIt recognizes reservations from thousands of companies, including airlines, hotels, car rental companies, restaurants, and more. You can share itineraries with family and colleagues directly or through Facebook or LinkedIn. An add-free Pro version monitors your connections and sends alerts and helpful reminders.

Platform: iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7Price: Free

Wikitude

Voted Best Augmented Reality Browser three years in a row, Wikitude uncovers the world around you by superimposing points of interest on your camera view. Discover famous landmarks, hotels, restaurants, or just local stores. A search feature will help you find just what you’re looking for, and you can bookmark favorites for a future visit or to share with friends.

Platform: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerryPrice: Free

Packing Pro

Never again forget to pack that sun-hat or your youngest’s favorite teddy bear. Packing Pro features a huge catalog of packable items, an expert packing ‘assistant’, a smart search tool, and a variety of different ways to save and share your lists. Everything is customizable, there is full Cloud support, and a To-Do list of over 100 tasks makes sure you never leave anything behind!

Platform: iOSPrice: $2.99

The Weather Channel

A well-planned trip starts with a good weather report, so you might as well get it from the best in the business! The Weather Channel app gives you detailed weather conditions and forecasts, customizable radar maps, and severe weather alerts. You can load as many destinations as you want, and you even have access to those must-see Weather Channel videos.

Platform: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerryPrice: Free

Expensify

The perfect app to make sure you and your family stay within budget and there are no nasty surprises when you return home. Expensify automatically syncs expenses from all major banks and credit cards, and the built-in scanner will track cash purchases by reading receipts. Everything is organized into easy-to-read reports, which can be formatted and sent to work or home via e-mail.

Platform: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerryPrice: Free

Foodspotting

In the mood for falafel? Or maybe a mushroom and swiss veggi burger? Foodspotting will help you find it. This app doesn’t just find you restaurants, but tracks down the exact dish you are craving. See what friends and food critics liked, bookmark the dishes you want to try, and vote for the dishes you love. Since launch, Foodspotters have logged over 2 million mouth-watering dishes from all over the world.

Platform: iOS (iPhone only), AndroidPrice: Free

Google Translate

Google Translate instantly captures and translates words and phrases from more than 60 languages. In many cases, you can speak your phrases and have the translation spoken aloud back to you or to the people you are with. You can pre-record and store previous translations for use when you are off line, or use many of the app’s standard phrases. There is even a full screen text mode for extended conversations.